Phelps diyakini akan terjun di Olimpiade 2016 di Rio

Meski sudah menegaskan pensiun dari kolam renang usai Olimpiade London, Michael Phelps diyakini akan berubah pikiran dan terjun di Olimpiade 2016 di Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

Keyakinan ini disampaikan musuh dan rekan satu timnya dari Amerika Serikat, Ryan Lochte, menjelang kejuaraan dunia renang di Istanbul, Turki.

"Dunia olahraga akan sangat kehilangan. Phelps adalah salah satu lawan terbesar saya. Saya juga kehilangan," kata Lochte.

"Namun saya yakin Phelps akan berubah pikiran. Ia akan kembali terjun berlomba."

"Ia masih muda dan menekuni renang sejak lama. Ia akan merasa kehilangan yang pada akhirnya membuatnya kembali berlomba. Phelps akan berlomba di Olimpiade Rio," kata Lochte.

Phelps pensiun dari cabang renang setelah berhasil menyabet medali Olimpiade ke-22, 18 di antaranya medali emas, di London Agustus lalu.

Kasus Thorpe

Ia memecahkan rekor prestasi atlet senam Rusia, Larisa Latynina yang meraih 18 medali Olimpiade, sekaligus mengukuhkan dirinya sebagai atlet paling sukses dalam sejarah Olimpiade.

Phelps sejauh ini menegaskan bahwa pesta olahraga di London 2012 adalah Olimpiade yang keempat baginya sekaligus yang terakhir.

Sejumlah pengamat mengatakan, melihat prestasinya yang sangat mengesankan, tidak ada yang perlu dibuktikan lagi oleh Phelps di cabang renang.

Mereka juga menggarisbawahi kasus Ian Thorpe, legenda renang Australia yang pensiun dan kemudian terjun lagi di kolam renang namun gagal masuk kualifikasi Olimpiade London.

Tapi Lochte mengatakan ia yakin Phelps berbeda dengan Thorpe.

"Phelps adalah perenang yang istimewa. Ia sangat berbakat. Selain itu, ia memiliki waktu yang panjang untuk mempersiapkan diri terjun di Olimpiade 2016," tandas Lochte

FINA WORLD SHORT COURSE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS: RUTA MEILUTYTE ROCKS MEET RECORD DURING DAY ONE PRELIMS AT WORLDS

ISTANBUL, Turkey, RENANG INDONESIA, December 12. LITHUANIA's Ruta Meilutyte kicked off the first morning of preliminary action with a meet record at the FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships held in Dubai.

Meanwhile, USA's Ryan Lochte and Hungary's Katinka Hosszu had some strong mornings, setting up multiple swims in the evening.

Men's 200 free 

USA's Ryan Lochte, who is looking to become just the second person to win the men's 200 free twice at this meet to join Brazil's Gustavo Borges (1995, 1997), turned in the top time of the morning with a 1:42.41. That swim is the second best in the world this year behind Yannick Agnel's 1:41.46 from the European Short Course Championships. France sent a short squad to this meet, leaving many of its top swimmers including Agnel home.

Russia's Viatcheslav Andrusenko placed second in the morning with a 1:43.98 that puts him 13th in the world this year, while Germany's Paul Biedermann qualified third in 1:44.05. Biedermann set the world record in this event with a 1:39.37 at the FINA World Cup Berlin stop in 2009.

New Zealand's Matthew Stanley (1:44.13), Australia's Jarrod Killey (1:44.33), USA's Conor Dwyer (1:44.61), Germany's Dimitri Colupaev (1:44.84) and Paraguay's Ben Hockin (1:44.84) also made the finale.

Women's 50 breast
Lithuania's Ruta Meilutyte struck down the first meet record of the competition with a sizzling time of 29.56 in the sprint breast. That time bested the 29.58 set by Jessica Hardy of the U.S. to win in 2008, and is by far the top time this year. Hardy had the previous best time with a 29.92 from the Tokyo stop of the FINA World Cup. The time broke Meilutyte's national record of 29.96 from the Stockholm stop of the World Cup, and jumped her to fourth all time in the event. Hardy (28.80), Sarah Katsoulis (29.50) and Janne Schafer (29.55) are the top three.

Jamaica's Alia Atkinson qualified second in 29.72, while Hardy took third in 29.74 to comprise the sub 30-second swims. That is the first time Atkinson has broken that barrier, downing her national record of 30.19 and moving to seventh all time in the event. Hardy, meanwhile, has a long history in the event. She is vying to become the first two-time winner ever having won in 2008. She also has a pair of top times in the event. She owns the world record with a 28.80, which is not ratified as the American record. Her American record stands as a 29.58, which was her meet record in this event.

USA Swimming decided that American records set in techsuits after Oct. 1, 2009 -- when USA Swimming implemented the techsuit ban domestically - would not be ratified. This is the case even for times swum legally in international events where ban was not in effect yet.

Czech's Petra Chocova (30.13), Australia's Sarah Katsoulis (30.24), Denmark's Rikke Moller Pedersen (30.25), Sweden's Rebecca Ejdervik (30.26), Sweden's Jennie Johansson (30.34), Russia's Valentina Artemeva (30.53), USA's Ellyn Baumgardner (30.81), Australia's Samantha Marshall (30.90), Brazil's Beatriz Travalon (30.90), Finland's Jenna Laukkanen (30.95), Canada's Tera Van Beilen (30.98), China's Zhao Jin (31.01) and China's Ji Liping (31.08) also earned transfer spots into the semifinal.

Men's 100 back 
Several FINA World Cup standouts turned in strong times in the morning in this event. Australia's Robert Hurley, who made quite a bit of money during the World Cup circuit, led the way with a 50.22. That performance is just off his third-ranked 50.18 season best from the Doha stop of the tour. USA's Matt Grevers, who did not participate on the World Cup tour, managed to turn in a solid 50.55 in the morning without looking to exert much effort. The gigantic swimmer's easy stroke put him fifth in the world this year in the event.

Russia's Stanislav Donets, who dominated the 50 and 100 backstroke during the World Cup circuit, checked in with a third-ranked 50.83. He owns the top time in the world this year with a 49.49 from the Tokyo stop of the World Cup.

Brazil's Guilherme Gudio (51.14), Spain's Aschwin Wildeboer (51.19), Australia's Ashley Delaney (51.19), Israel's Guy Barnea (51.30), Japan's Kosuke Hagino (51.40), Belarus' Pavel Sankovich (51.48), Poland's Radoslaw Kawecki (51.51), Hungary's Peter Bernek (51.55), Turkey's Iskender Baslakov (51.56), Italy's Damiano Lestingi (51.58), Germany's Christian Diener (51.61), Italy's Mirco Di Tora (51.69) and China's Cheng Feiyi (51.70) comprised the rest of the semifinal field.

Women's 200 fly
Hungary's Katinka Hosszu, fresh off winning more than $150,000 as the Queen of the FINA World Cup, charged to a lifetime best time of 2:04.19 in the morning. That swim cleared her previous national record of 2:04.56, and vaulted her to 17th all time in the event's history. She also came within about half-a-second of Mireia Belmonte Garcia's meet record of 2:03.59 from 2010.

Hosszu's performance at the World Cup was staggering, winning 39 individual gold medals en route to historic levels of prize money. She will be vying for some more cash this week as winners earn $5,000, second place claims $3,000 and third place picks up $2,000.

"It went pretty good, I even swam my PB," Hosszu said. "I felt pretty good (in the water). The first race at an event is always a little weird, but I swam my PB so it went well. I want to be on the podium, so that's my goal for tonight."

China's Jiao Liuyang raced to second with a time of 2:04.88 to move to second in the world this year, while Japan's Kona Fujita checked in third with a 2:05.42. USA's Kathleen Hersey ripped off a 2:05.45 to qualify fourth, while Canada's Katerine Savard (2:05.54), China's Liu Zige (2:05.96), Great Britain's Jemma Lowe (2:06.14) and Japan's Nao Kobayashi (2:06.91) each made their way into the final, while USA's Jasmine Tosky just missed the top eight with a ninth-place 2:07.28 out of heat two.

Men's 100 breast
USA's Kevin Cordes, who had an astonishing meet at U.S. Short Course (Yards) Nationals with American records in both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events, surged to the top time of the morning with a 57.66. That time put him fourth in the world this year, and put him within striking distance of the American record of 57.18 set by Mike Alexandrov in 2010 as well as Alexandrov's un-ratified top time by an American of 57.16 from 2009.

Germany's Marco Koch qualified second with a time of 58.10 as he touched out Italy's Fabio Scozzoli (58.16) in the final heat of 10. Alexandrov turned in a top-four time with a preliminary effort of 58.35, while Brazil's Joao Gomes Jr. qualified fifth in 58.43 in a tie with Japan's Koichiro Okazaki. Russia's Viatcheslav Sinkevich and Ukraine's Igor Borysik tied for seventh with times of 58.49, while Japanese prodigy Akihiro Yamaguchi, who took down the long course 200 breast world record with a 2:07.01 in September, qualified ninth with a 58.53.

Slovenia's Damir Dugonjic (58.54), Brazil's Felipe Lima (58.59), Great Britain's Michael Jamieson (58.61), Estonia's Martti Aljand (58.71), Italy's Mattia Pesce (58.86), Russia's Anton Lobanov (58.99) and Sweden's Simon Sjodin (59.03) all made their way into the semifinal.

Women's 100 back
Czech's Simona Baumrtova (57.65) and Ukraine's Daryna Zevina (57.66) turned in the top two times of the morning. Baumrtova moved to fifth in the world this year, while Zevina is the second-fastest in the world this year with a 57.07 from the European Short Course Championships. Australia's Rachel Goh holds the top time this year with a 57.02 from the Berlin stop of the World Cup.

USA's Olivia Smoliga put on a show in heat five out of lane eight, qualifying third overall with a 57.75 to move into the top 10 in the world this year. Denmark's Mie Nielsen (57.83), Australia's Grace Loh (57.89) and Great Britain's Georgia Davies (57.94) also cleared 58 seconds.

Italy's Arianna Barbieri (58.02), The Netherlands' Kira Toussaint (58.23), Goh (58.35), Spain's Duane Da Rocha (58.40), USA's Megan Romano (58.45), Great Britain's Elizabeth Simmonds (58.48), China's Zhou Yanxin (58.73), Japan's Marie Kamimura (58.75), Sweden's Michelle Coleman (58.83) and The Netherlands' Sharon Van Rouwendaal (58.86) qualified through to semifinals as well.

Men's 100 fly 
After clocking a sizzling 50.16 in the morning on the back of his 200 free leading time, it looks like USA's Ryan Lochte could make a run at his record six gold medals from the 2010 Dubai meet. Australia's Brooke Hanson shares that record with Lochte. Lochte's time this morning pushed him to third in the world this year behind Chad Le Clos (49.60) and Evgeny Korotyshkin (49.98). Lochte just missed Peter Mankoc's meet record of 50.04 from 2008.

"Pretty good. The first two races at an event are always my worst," Lochte said. "So I'm glad I got that one out of the way. All that preparation is what I do all year. When I go to a meeting all I do is race. If I win, I win. If I don't, I don't and move on to the next. There's still a lot that I have to accomplish. That is what keeps me going on a daily basis."

China's Wu Peng, who was entered in heat one even though he is a proven competitor, ripped off a 50.49 to lead throughout most of the 10 heats. That swim pushed him to sixth in the world this year. Le Clos, meanwhile, cruised into the semifinal heats with a 50.73, while The Netherlands' Joeri Verlinden (50.81), USA's Tom Shields (50.82), Hungary's Laszlo Cseh (50.86) and Slovenia's Mankoc (50.99) all broke 51 seconds to make up the top seven.

Japan's Kazuya Kaneda (51.00), Australia's Kenneth To (51.06), Kenya's Jason Dunford (51.14), Poland's Konrad Czerniak (51.15), Italy's Matteo Rivolta (51.19), Russia's Nikolay Skvortsov (51.29), Spain's Rafael Munoz Perez (51.29), Belgium's Francois Heersbrandt (51.31) and Belarus' Yauhen Tsurkin (51.47) rounded out the semifinal field. Fred Bousquet (51.50) and Kaio Almeido (51.57) were some big names that missed the top 16.

Women's 400 IM
Great Britain's Hannah Miley turned in the top time in prelims with a 4:28.91, which is a full five seconds off her world-leading 4:23.47 from the European Short Course Championships. Meanwhile, Hungary's Katinka Hosszu, who is second in the world this year with a 4:23.91 also from the European Short Course Champs, qualified second in 4:29.22. China's Ye Shiwen, who stunned the world with a blistering freestyle leg to win the long course version of this even at the 2012 London Games, qualified third in 4:29.98 to setup a heavyweight battle in the center of the pool this evening.

"It went ok," Ye said. "I always feel very tired at the beginning of a competition, it is always very hard. I didn't even reach my personal best. I think we [Hannah Miley] are even, so it was not a problem. It is just the heats. I hope to win the gold medal in this event. As for the others, I just want to gain experience."

Hungary's Zsuzsanna Jakabos (4:30.88), Japan's Miho Takahashi (4:31.71), Japan's Emu Higuchi (4:32.49), USA's Maya Dirado (4:33.01) and Czech's Barbora Zavadova (4:34.67) will make up the rest of the championship finale. USA's Becca Mann finished just outside of the top eight with a ninth-place 4:34.70.

Men's 400 free relay
Italy's Luca Dotto (47.04), Marco Orsi (46.89), Michele Santucci (47.50) and Filippo Magnini (47.31) turned in a time of 3:08.74 in heat one of three and that time held up for the top seed heading into the finale. USA's Anthony Ervin (46.86), Garrett Weber-Gale (46.99), Tyler Reed (48.15) and Jimmy Feigen (46.90) tracked down the second seed with a 3:08.90 and are looking to reclaim the title after missing out at the 2010 edition in Dubai. Russia's Vlad Morozov (46.63), Evgeny Lagunov (46.95), Artem Lobuzov (47.71) and Dmitry Ermakov (47.73) rounded out the top three in 3:09.02.

Australia (3:09.23), Japan (3:09.72), Brazil (3:11.93), China (3:12.77) and Turkey (3:14.40) snared the other transfer spots into the finale with the Turkish squad getting a big cheer.

Women's 800 free relay
Team USA's Jasmine Tosky (1:58.10), Shannon Vreeland (1:55.75), Chelsea Chenault (1:54.73) and Allison Schmitt (1:56.78) turned in a top time of 7:45.36 to lead the way in the morning heats. Russia's Daria Belyakina (1:57.67), Ksenia Yuskova (1:57.64), Elena Sokolova (1:55.87) and Veronika Popova (1:56.34) placed second in 7:47.52, while Italy (7:47.95), China (7:48.28), Japan (7:50.81), Denmark (7:51.33), Great Britain (7:51.84) and Hungary (7:53.13) rounded out the championship heat. (swimmingworld)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK OFF TOMORROW IN TURKEY, FIVE DAYS OF FAST SWIMMING IN STORE

PHOENIX, Arizona, RENANG INDONESIA, December 11. TOMORROW begins a marathon five days of competition at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Ahmet Bozdogan, the Chairman of the Turkish Swimming Federation, a record number of athletes will be in attendance: 1,100 swimmers representing 162 countries. An additional 9 countries are sending athletes this year, up from 153 countries in 2010. The 25-meter championship meet is held every two years, the last of which was in Dubai.

Athletes from around the globe are already situated in Istanbul, getting used to time zone and facility differences before diving into the water to race tomorrow at the Sinan Erdem Arena. Swimmers Tweeted out pictures of the venue, revamped and decorated for the event. USA Swimming embedded a picture of Team USA's last practice before tomorrow's kick-off, as well: 

CHINA, SOUTH AFRICA NAME SWIM TEAMS FOR BHP BILLITON AQUATIC SUPER SERIES

PERTH, Australia, RENANG INDONESIA, December 12. CHINESE Olympic gold medallists Ye Shiwen and Jiao Liuyang, and South African giant killer Chad le Clos, will headline the Chinese and South African swim teams at the inaugural BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series in Perth this January 18-19.

Set to compete against the EnergyAustralia Swim Team over two nights of elite competition in a revamped outdoor pool at Perth's Challenge Stadium, the Chinese and South African teams are full of experience and talent in this the first year of the event.

Sixteen-year-old Ye Shiwen won two gold medals in London, including defeating Australian golden girl Alicia Coutts in the women's 200m IM, while Jiao Liuyang was a gold medallist in the 200m butterfly. 

Fellow butterfly swimmer Chad le Clos from Durban in South Africa shocked the world when he defeated American great Michael Phelps in his pet event, the 200m fly by just 0.01 of a second, as well as going on to win silver in the 100m fly.

With talented Olympians across all three swim teams, Swimming Australia Head Coach Leigh Nugent said the EnergyAustralia Swim Team is looking forward to some tough competition to start 2013 on the right track.

"The BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series is a fantastic opportunity for our athletes to race, and to race world-class opposition," said Nugent.

"It's been four years since we've had the chance to compete in a home pool for Australia, and many of our athletes can't wait to get to Perth to compete."

"The Chinese are always strong and with 18 members of their Olympic team heading to Perth both our men and women will have plenty to swim for."

"From a South African point of view, they have also been very strong over the shorter distances and someone like Chad le Clos is able to back up and race well across a variety of events."

The swimming component of the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series will consist of two pool sessions over two nights on Friday 18 January and Saturday 19 January, with athletes vying for points and prize money on each individual race, as well as an overall team score.

For tickets go to www.ticketmaster.com.au and for information on the BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series go to www.aquaticsuperseries.com.au

The BHP Billiton Aquatic Super Series is proudly supported by naming rights sponsor BHP Billiton and the Western Australian State Government through Eventscorp and Royalties for Regions.

EnergyAustralia Swim Team:
The EnergyAustralia Swim Team has a proud history of success at all major international competitions and swimming is our most successful Olympic sport. In Athens in 2004, Australia won seven gold medals in the pool and backed that up again in Beijing in 2008 with a further six gold. At the most recent Olympic Games in London, Australia won ten medals in the pool with the women's 4x100m freestyle relay team picking up gold.
MEN: Daniel Arnamnart (NSW), Ashley Delaney (VIC), Thomas Fraser-Holmes (QLD), Jayden Hadler (NSW), Mitchell Larkin (QLD), James Magnussen (NSW), David McKeon (NSW), Kenrick Monk (QLD), Ryan Napoleon (QLD), Brenton Rickard (QLD), James Roberts (QLD), Christian Sprenger (QLD), Matthew Targett (VIC), Daniel Tranter (NSW), Chris Wright (QLD)
WOMEN: Bronte Barratt (QLD), Cate Campbell (QLD), Bronte Campbell (QLD), Alicia Coutts (QLD), Blair Evans (WA), Sally Foster (SA), Samantha Hamill (QLD), Belinda Hocking (VIC), Sarah Katsoulis (VIC), Yolane Kukla (QLD), Meagen Nay (QLD), Kylie Palmer (QLD), Leiston Pickett (QLD), Melanie Schlanger (QLD), Emily Seebohm (QLD)

People's Republic of China Swim Team:
A clear swimming superpower, China won 10 swimming medals at the 2012 London Olympic Games, including five gold, two of which went to 16-year-old Ye Shiwen. At the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai the People's Republic of China Swim Team won 15 medals, second only to the USA on 17. With four current individual world record holders, and a host of young talent spurred on by recent success, China will provide outstanding opposition for the EnergyAustralia Swim Team and South Africa at the 2013 BHP Aquatic Super Series.

MEN: Cheng Feiyi, Li Xiayan, Zhou Jiawei, Lv Zhiwu, Xu Jiayu, Huang Yunkun, Chen Yin, Liu Weija, Shi Tengfei, Hao Yun, Li Yunqi, Dai Jun, Shi Yang
WOMEN: Zhao Jing, Zhao Jin, Lu Ying, Tang Yi, Fu Yuanhui, He Yun, Jiao Liuyang, Liu Zige, Xu Danlu, Shao Yiwen, Ye Shiwen, Bai Anqi, Yao Yige, Pang Jiaying, Wang Haibing, Chen Xinyi

South African Swim Team:
The winner of two gold medals at the London Olympic Games, South Africa has a proud history in the sport with names such as Penny Heynes, Roland Schoeman, Jonty Skinner, Cameron Van Der Burgh and now Chad Le Clos setting the standard. In 2012, Chad Le Clos became a household name when he defeated Michael Phelps for gold in the men's 200m butterfly at the London Olympics while Cameron Van Der Burgh won gold in the world record time in the men's 100m breaststroke.

MEN: Alaric Basson, Devon Brown, Bryon Doyle, Calvyn Justus, Charl Crous, Chad Le Clos, Darren Murray, Roland Schoeman, Leith Shankland, Aryton Sweeney, Garth Tune, Neil Versfeld, Jan Petrus Van Der Merwe, Giulio Zorzi
WOMEN: Jessica Ashley-Cooper, Marne Erasmus, Kelly Gunnel, Lehesta Kemp, Trudi Maree, Vanessa Mohr, Tara-Lynn Nicholas, Jessica Pengelly, Kyna Pereira, Karin Prinsloo, Marlies Ross, Suzaan Van Biljon, Nathania Van Niekerk, Rene Warnes, Michelle Weber 

OLYMPIC MEDALIST RYOSUKE IRIE MIGRATING SOUTH TO AUSTRALIA Backstroker to train with Michael Bohl in Brisbane

OSKAKA, Japan, RENANG INDONESIA, December 11. RYOSUKE Irie is making the move to Australia to intensify his training in preparation for 2013, when he'll face tough domestic and international rivals in the backstroke events.

Irie, who won three medals at the London Olympics, will head to Brisbane in January to train at the St. Peters Western Swim Club with head coach Michael Bohl, according to an article on Yahoo Japan. Bohl has worked with Korea's Park Tae-Hwan for about five years, and was responsible for bringing Australians Stephanie Rice and Leisel Jones gold medals in the 2008 Olympics.

Irie, 22, said the new training environment will stimulate his motivation for the 2016 Olympics, where he said his main goal is winning gold. He came close to that goal in London, placing second in the 200 backstroke. He also won a bronze in the 100 back and silver in the 400 medley relay. 

Irie will be a force in the backstroke events at next summer's world championships, but he will have some stiff competition at the Japanese trials in April just to get on the world championship team. Teenagers Kosuke Hagino and Daiya Seto have been improving rapidly in the 200 backstroke this fall, with Hagino poised to be the biggest threat with his 1:55.74 from last August. And don't forget about Kazuki Watanabe, who finished sixth in the Olympic final.

Irie's domestic competition in the 100 back could come from Junya Koga, whorelocated to Michigan recently in an effort to regain the form that won him the world title in the 100 back in 2009. Koga just missed making Japan's 2012 Olympic team.

Irie will still enjoy some comforts of Japan at his new training base, since he will be staying with a Japanese host family in Brisbane.

The news of Irie's move to Australia seems to contradict initial reports that Swimming Australia was placing a ban on foreign swimmers training with the country's top coaches, as was reported in September when Denis Cotterell was supposedly told to end his relationship with China's Sun Yang. Cotterell has since denied such claims, and continues to work with Sun on a regular basis. (swimmingworld)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS KICK OFF TOMORROW IN TURKEY, FIVE DAYS OF FAST SWIMMING IN STORE

PHOENIX, Arizona, RENANG INDONESIA, December 11. TOMORROW begins a marathon five days of competition at the FINA Short Course World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey. According to Ahmet Bozdogan, the Chairman of the Turkish Swimming Federation, a record number of athletes will be in attendance: 1,100 swimmers representing 162 countries. An additional 9 countries are sending athletes this year, up from 153 countries in 2010. The 25-meter championship meet is held every two years, the last of which was in Dubai.

Athletes from around the globe are already situated in Istanbul, getting used to time zone and facility differences before diving into the water to race tomorrow at the Sinan Erdem Arena. Swimmers Tweeted out pictures of the venue, revamped and decorated for the event. USA Swimming embedded a picture of Team USA's last practice before tomorrow's kick-off, as well: 

FINA President highlights record of participation

Istanbul (TUR), RENANG INDONESIA, December 11, 2012 – At the Opening Press Conference of the 11th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m), to be organised in Istanbul (TUR) from December 12-16, 2012 the FINA President Dr. Julio Maglione expressed his satisfaction for the level of participation at this event.

“I am pleased to announce that we will have the biggest participation ever in this event, both in terms of countries (162) and athletes (958), which shows that FINA, Swimming and Aquatic Sports achieve a very significant role in the world of sport”, considered Dr. Maglione.

“We have no doubts that in this outstanding venue - Sinan Erdem - the swimmers, National Federations, spectators, all the TV viewers around the world (the signal will go to over 190 territories) will enjoy great performances and unforgettable moments”, added the FINA President.

Before this media opportunity, Dr. Maglione accompanied the Turkish Minister of Youth and Sport, Mr. Suat Kilic, in a venue tour, comprising the pool deck, media and athletes areas. In the Press Conference, this governmental responsible underlined the importance of these World Championships. “It constitutes a milestone for the Turkish sport and the Turkish youth. We are very proud and enthusiastic about this organisation and the impact it will bring to our country. Moreover, the championships will be held in an iconic venue in Istanbul, one of the largest arenas in Europe”, stated Mr. Kilic.

The 11th FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) will feature 40 events over five days of competition and will be attended by many stars – no less than 16 individual Olympic medallists from the 2012 Games in London will swim at the Sinan Erdem arena, including nine Olympic champions.
 
The heats of the competition will start at 10:00 (local time), while the finals and semi-finals will be held at 19:00 (local time).